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Mid-major schools have produced major NBA talent

Cary Edmondson / US Presswire

Back in 1979, undefeated Missouri Valley Conference champion Indiana State made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and began making noise as a one-seed in the Midwest region.

After taking out Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Arkansas, the Sycamores had reached the Final Four, set for a showdown with powerhouse DePaul, who had gone 26-6 and had just upset one-seed UCLA in their regional final.

Led by Naismith College Player of the Year Larry Bird, the Sycamores edged DePaul 76-74 to move on to the NCAA Championship game. Bird, a junior that season, had a pantheon performance, shooting 16-of-19 from the floor for 35 points, adding 16 rebounds for good measure.

The win set up a legendary showdown with Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans would win 75-64 and Bird struggled to 7-of-21 shooting, but his 19 points and 13 rebounds against the country's best team were notable.

Bird had been drafted sixth overall by the Boston Celtics the previous summer, leading to eventual changes in the NBA's draft eligibility rules. 

In other words, Red Auerbach had pulled one over on the basketball world, drafting an impressive sophomore out of a mid-major school before the entire country got a better look at him.

Dangerous Mid-Majors

Indiana State isn't the only smaller school to have ever made noise in the NCAA Tournament. 

Have you forgotten about Wichita State in the Final Four last year already? The nine-seed from the Missouri Valley Conference may now be headed towards a one-seed in this year's tournament, thanks to a 34-0 record and a No. 2 ranking on both national polls.

San Diego State (Mountain West), Saint Louis (Atlantic 10), New Mexico (Mountain West), VCU (Atlantic 10) and Stephen F. Austin (Southland) all stand to potentially make noise in this year's tournament as well.

Some of this is owed to improved programs nation-wide and a perceived spreading out of talent, but this year isn't really an exception - three of the last four tournaments have had at least one mid-major crack the Elite Eight, and 2010 and 2011 both saw smaller schools make the Final Four.

This is fantastic for fans and for college basketball, even if it makes filling out your bracket a more troublesome task. People love a Florida Gulf Coast "Dunk City" or a La Salle, and a run like Wichita State's from last year can help push a developing program over the hump as a perennial power (see: Gonzaga).

Mid-Major Success in the NBA

Drafting a player and stashing him in the college ranks for a year is no longer an option for NBA teams, but several franchises have found value in players playing outside of the country's top basketball conferences. 

With 290 of the league's players at the start of the season came from the seven main conferences, that leaves 62 players from 45 different schools that were developed in mid-major programs.

This year's All-Star Game even included a strong mid-major presence, with Paul George (Fresno State), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech) and Damian Lillard (Weber State) all representing smaller schools.

Along with those four, David West (Xavier, though they've since moved to the Big East), Gordon Hayward (Butler), Andrew Bogut (Utah, since moved to the Pac-12), George Hill (IUPUI) and Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's) have all made a name for themselves and their alma mater at the NBA level.

Mid-Major All-Star Team

The amount of mid-major talent in the NBA is actually deep enough that you could make a pretty damn competitive All-Star team from them. Here's a look at how we'd construct such a team.

Point Guard - Damian Lillard, Portland/Weber State

Lillard had two knocks against him entering the draft: he played at a small school in the Big Sky, and he was a senior. The Blazers rolled the dice at No. 6 and that seems to have worked out just fine, as Lillard is averaging 21 points and 5.6 assists for a playoff-bound team as a sophomore.

Back-up: Jameer Nelson (Orlando/St. Joseph's), George Hill (Indiana/IUPUI), Jeremy Lin (Houston/Harvard)

Shooting Guard - Steph Curry, Golden State/Davidson

Curry is proof that an exciting talent from a smaller school can encapsulate the country with a strong tournament run, as he did in 2008 when he took the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. He's also proof that the 3-point line is the same distance in every conference, as his legendary stroke saw no ill effects as the competition drew stiffer.

Back-up: Gordon Hayward (Utah/Butler)

Small Forward - Paul George, Indiana/Fresno State

Since emerging as one of the top player's in the NBA, George's story has been more one of tireless work and player development than poor scouting. Despite being somewhat hidden in the WAC and failing to lead the Bulldogs to a tournament appearance, the Pacers rolled the dice at No. 10 in the 2010 draft. With 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and top-shelf defense, they surely don't regret it.

Back-up: Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio/San Diego State)

Power Forward - Paul Millsap, Atlanta/Louisiana Tech

No, not Louisiana State, also known as Shaq-ma mater LSU. Like George, Millsap never made an NCAA Tournament appearance, but he flashed enough prodigious rebounding in his three seasons for the Utah Jazz to take a chance 47th overall in 2006. It didn't come overnight, but the former Bulldog (and really, it seems 70 percent of mid-major players are former Bulldogs of some sort) is now an All-Star, dragging a beaten up Hawks team into the playoffs by averaging 17.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Back-up: David West (Indiana/Xavier), Kenneth Faried (Denver/Morehead State)

Center - Andrew Bogut, Golden State/Utah

While the Utes have since been promoted to the Pac-12, Bogut was leading them in the Mountain West back in 2005. Bogut's performance was enough to take the Utes to the Sweet Sixteen and get him drafted first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. He was the first mid-major player since Michael Olowokandi (Pacific) in 1998 to be taken with the top pick and the last until Anthony Bennett (UNLV) in 2013.

Back-up: Larry Sanders (Milwaukee/VCU)

Player/Coach - Steve Nash, Los Angeles/Santa Clara

Nash is one of the most famous small-school success stories, being plucked out of Santa Clara - one of the few schools that even wanted him out of high school - 15th overall by the Suns in 1996. 18 seasons later, Nash is on his last legs and could transition to a player/coach role with this team, being a spiritual leader and coming off the bench when free throws or threes are needed.

Who to Watch in 2014

This coming year's NBA draft is supposed to be one of the most loaded in recent memory, which should, in theory, mean this year's NCAA Tournament is also incredibly loaded. Draft prospects at major schools abound, but there are a handful of players on mid-major squads that are worth a closer look.

Note: Despite SI's best efforts, Creighton's Doug McDermott doesn't qualify, despite his Wooden candidacy. Creighton is in the Big East.

Cleanthony Early, Wichita State

The only mid-major player nominated for the Wooden Award as college basketball's top players, Early has averaged 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds as the Shockers go-to guy.

Deonte Burton, Nevada
Elfrid Payton, Louisiana-Lafayette

The only mid-major players currently projected to go in the first-round of the NBA draft (29th and 30th, respectively, according to Draft Express), Burton and Payton have more to lose than any other small-school players this March. They may have to lead their teams to conference tournament wins to get in the door, however.

Kendall Williams, New Mexico
Alec Brown, Green Bay
Xavier Thames, San Diego State

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